Home made projector!

[Chernobyl]

It needs a 5V power supply.

[cyrax83]

hmm, it cant be too hard to tap into the psu for power if i get some fans then, just use it for the lcd too..

anyway, chernobyl any ideas on the ripple in the last pic ? i know you said it could be the temperature thing, its not it ?

any ideas buddy ?

also i'm thinking of buying ffc extension cables from lumenlab ($20 AUD each, so i'd need 2 = $40) for the 2 cables from the pcb board to the display. It seems like its the only way to mount the pcb on some metal and remove that crappy cardboard. but $40 for 2 little extension cables is very expensive lol.

btw thanks for all your help once again, without u this wouldnt be possible

[flyguy]

cyrax83,
I don't know if Digikey ships to Australia, but their part number HFF-20U-06-ND is a 20 conductor 6" FFC extension for $5 USD.

[flyguy]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but would a 10, 15, or 20,000K bulb (250W MH HQI double-ended, can't find CRI for them) work, or would it be too blue? Any other issues I'm missing?

[Chernobyl]

Originally Posted by cyrax83

hmm, it cant be too hard to tap into the psu for power if i get some fans then, just use it for the lcd too..

anyway, chernobyl any ideas on the ripple in the last pic ? i know you said it could be the temperature thing, its not it ?

any ideas buddy ?

also i'm thinking of buying ffc extension cables from lumenlab ($20 AUD each, so i'd need 2 = $40) for the 2 cables from the pcb board to the display. It seems like its the only way to mount the pcb on some metal and remove that crappy cardboard. but $40 for 2 little extension cables is very expensive lol.

btw thanks for all your help once again, without u this wouldnt be possible

Soz, I missed your post showing the ripple.
Does the interference pattern remain in the same place when you move the LCD?
Does raising/lowering the LCD help lose the pattern?

Try removing the Fresnel to see if the pattern goes away.
My first impression is the Fresnel is the problem and may need replacing.

Hopefully the cables suggested by Flyguy will be suitable.

[Chernobyl]

Originally Posted by flyguy

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but would a 10, 15, or 20,000K bulb (250W MH HQI double-ended, can't find CRI for them) work, or would it be too blue? Any other issues I'm missing?

The 10, 15 or 20K figure refers to the Lumens (Light power) of the bulb.
My 400W bulb that came with the OHP was 13K Lumens, the 250W MH one I am using now is 20K Lumens. The MH bulbs are said to drop to around half power by the end of their life so dont get less than 20K lumens MH bulb unless you have a very dark room.
The colour reproduction is a different number.

You should be looking for a bulb over 5000K colour temp and preferably not much more than 5700K. Above 5700K will start to look blue, below looks more yellow.
The orginal 400W bulb was 3400K, the 250W MH bulb I am now using is 5200K.
Comparing it to an LCD screen in normal use, my MH bulb is slightly yellower, but unless compared side by side you dont notice. In fact its easier on the eyes and highly recommended

If you cant find the CRI for your bulb, you may be lucky and get one that is 85 or higher. I cant put the odds on it though, best play safe and find the CRI.

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by Chernobyl

The 10, 15 or 20K figure refers to the Lumens (Light power) of the bulb.

I've never heard of a 20,000K color temperature either, but that's what they seem to be saying. Would something like this (6500K, 90 CRI) or this work?

[Chernobyl]

No, No and No

you need 5700K or less colour temp and a light power of 20K+ lumens
For more information on how to select a bulb, see earlier in this thread:
Home made projector!


Edit: Ah, I see, you are looking at aquarium bulbs which can have a colour temp of up to 20K, so those 'are' the colour temps. My bad.
Those bulbs arent suitable for the project as they are too blue (above 5700K colour temp).

I dont know how hard/easy it will be to use the bigger bulbs.
To avoid problems I chose the small HRI/HQI type.

[flyguy]

The cheapest I can find an HQI-TS 250W bulb is $50 (most places around here are $100-$150/bulb), but this place doesn't sell ballasts/ignitors/etc, and I'm not sure I want to wait 2 months to ask the German guy if he'll even ship to the US. Chernobyl, do you have specs on the ballast/ignitor you got?

Edit: I can get an electronic ballast and bulb holders for $125 USD, but no reflector yet. I think I'll just wait until I get this thing running first (got my monitor yesterday - should be in pieces by tomorrow).

[cyrax83]

Originally Posted by flyguy

The cheapest I can find an HQI-TS 250W bulb is $50 (most places around here are $100-$150/bulb), but this place doesn't sell ballasts/ignitors/etc, and I'm not sure I want to wait 2 months to ask the German guy if he'll even ship to the US. Chernobyl, do you have specs on the ballast/ignitor you got?

Edit: I can get an electronic ballast and bulb holders for $125 USD, but no reflector yet. I think I'll just wait until I get this thing running first (got my monitor yesterday - should be in pieces by tomorrow).

goodluck ! any problems give us a post here and one of the guys here will try and help as best we can

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by cyrax83

goodluck ! any problems give us a post here and one of the guys here will try and help as best we can

I appreciate that. This thread has been a wonderful reference. I got the OHP all cleaned up last night (i.e. vacuumed the styrofoam bits out) and the LCD mostly disassembled. I'm having a bit of trouble getting the FFC extension in place. I got a 6" FFC extension and an SMD FFC connector. I can't seem to clamp down on the FFC extension with the existing connector - as if it's too thick or something. It goes on, but when I close the little latch, one side of it pops out of its socket. The FFC will stay in the socket, but I'm hesitant to just leave it hanging like that.

If I can get that sorted out, though, I plan to have it running tonight (assuming I didn't trash the LCD in the process). Also, I took lots and lots of pictures of the disassembly, so when I get this thing done, I'll put instructions for disassembling a Samsung 152T on my website and post a link.

[Chernobyl]

Thats unfortunate with the FFC extension.
One solution would be to make the extension thinner where it plugs in.
This would have to be uniform along the whole end surface to ensure electrical contact is maintained all along the edge while in use.

My suggestion if you are going to try this method, use a very fine sheet of abrasive laid flat on a surface, bent round the edge. Tape the ribbon to something flat, electrical side facing in and scrape plastic off the back of the lead by slowly dragging it over the abrasive material.
Take your time as you dont want to make it too thin!!

Another method would be to use an external clamp to hold the clip in place.
Or try another cable !

I dont recommend running the LCD without a solid connection.
Dont rush anything that can cause damage.

Well done sorting the Ballast and bulb holders. Hope you got the ignitor too.
I'm looking forward to your pictures, good luck!

[flyguy]

Absolutely Beautiful!!!! ... and bass ackwards Yes, boys and girls, it's those details that make a difference

It's all good, though. I took pictures of everything and will post a link as soon as I get this thing straightened out. I'm going to have to remake my hood because of how the control boards are mounted. Well okay - two pics if you must:

http://www.jdrnetworking.com/images/...1488-small.jpg http://www.jdrnetworking.com/images/...1489-small.jpg
Oops

As I said...more later. Gotta say, though - 2800 lumens does seem a bit on the weak side. I think I'm getting hungry for MH Thanks for all the help guys - I probably wouldn't have jumped into this without seeing your results.

[cyrax83]

nice flyguy. can you post a pic of your pcb's / how you mounted it and the ffc cables ?

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by cyrax83

nice flyguy. can you post a pic of your pcb's / how you mounted it and the ffc cables ?

http://www.jdrnetworking.com/images/...1485-small.jpg
Not the prettiest, but this is DIY, right? We get to make excuses When I get everything set up like I want, I'm going to make a nice sheet aluminum hood with hard mounts for everyting, but until then, cardboard works fine. In case it isn't clear, that ribbon cable on the bottom of the control board goes through a hole in the hood and connects to the driver board on the inside (it also holds the driver board up and out of the way of the LCD).

The first pic from the last post is the best I have of the FFC extension. It's obviously not viable as it sits right on top of the LCD, but then again - all of this has to change when I flip the LCD over, so I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I did get a tip from someone in another forum about the FFC extension, though. The 6" FFC extension from Digikey has a bit of black plastic backing under the pins which apparently can be removed. I'll try that when I get things turned over and let you know how it turns out.

[Chaz]

www.infernolabs.co.uk/files/colours.wmv

A colour test, also shows the rippling effect I also get, and it shows off my lovely wooden shroud. You can see two sets of rings, but for some reason the one on the right isnt there any more. I aint complaining! I'll get some proper photos of the shroud some time. Its just a wooden box which the LCD is fixed into, and the PCB is fixed onto the inside. It makes everything a lot safer and less likely to break, and less light escapes into the room making the projected image nicer. I was going to build a top for it, but a sheet of binliner does the trick and is easily removed!

Chernobyl and I went ahead with getting the 400w MH bulb, but unfortunatly we ordered too late, so Chernobyl has sent the cash back to me. Oh well, I can wait a few months I guess.

[cyrax83]

i had those rings. i raised my lcd quite a bit more off the ohp, its barely noticeable now. And i'm also getting better sharpness after adjusting the ohp then as to when it was further closer towards the panel. Strange. I aint complaining though, the higher the cooler it'll be too.

[cyrax83]

flyguy that looks like it's about to fall apart lol. Make sure the darn thing is secure, even if it is temporary =P

[flyguy]

Originally Posted by cyrax83

flyguy that looks like it's about to fall apart lol. Make sure the darn thing is secure, even if it is temporary =P

I know what you mean. The control board is actually secured very well to the hood. It's not going anywhere My hestitation now is pulling the LCD out of its metal frame to turn it over. I can picture the cracked glass now

[Chaz]

Whoa! Holy *****! I just lifted the LCD up a bit myself and jesus christ! Its all sharp! Theres no more blurring around the edges, everything is equally in focus! I love you!!!